EPISODE 6 – CONVERSATION WITH SABINE HIMMELSBACH & BORIS MAGRINI

EPISODE 6 – CONVERSATION WITH SABINE HIMMELSBACH & BORIS MAGRINI

30 juin. 2022
IN COLLABORATION WITH ESCH2022 AND RADIO ARA

With Sabine Himmelsbach and Boris Magrini. Hosted by Françoise Poos.

Singing with colourful jellyfish, listening to the joyfully gurgling sounds of plants as they react to a soft human caress, or immersing yourselves digitally in a breathing forest, these are only a few of the multi-sensory experiences that visitors can explore in the new exhibition Earthbound – In Dialogue with Nature at the Möllerei in Esch-Belval in the framework of Esch2022.

For this sixth episode of the Esch2022 Art, Technology and Digital Culture podcast, Françoise Poos is in conversation with Sabine Himmelsbach, director and Boris Magrini, head of exhibitions at HEK (House of Electronica Arts) in Basel, the curators of the show. They explain what Earthbound – In Dialogue with Nature is all about, why it is so important to transcend a human-centred approach to life on Earth, and how technology, if well used and understood, can help us take better care of our planet.

 

Earthbound – In Dialogue with Nature

Earthbound – In Dialogue with Nature is a group exhibition gathering the work of 19 internationally renowned artists and collectives active in the field of media arts. Presented in the Möllerei in Esch-Belval, the exhibition reflects on urgent environmental themes, focusing on the complex relationship between humans and their ecosystems.

With works by Refik Anadol, Donatien Aubert, melanie bonajo, Tega Brain, Persijn Broersen & Margit Lukács, Erik Bünger, María Castellanos & Alberto Valverde, Gil Delindro, Gilberto Esparza, Fragmentin, Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Marc Lee, Marcus Maeder, Mary Maggic, Mélodie Mousset, Sabrina Ratté, Scenocosme : Grégory Lasserre & Anaïs met den Ancxt, Rasa Smite & Raitis Smits, Sissel Marie Tonn & Jonathan Reus

https://esch2022.lu/en/cultural-agenda/?project_number=2200

Sabine Himmelsbach

Since 2012, Sabine Himmelsbach is director of HEK (House of Electronic Arts). After studying art history in Munich she worked for galleries in Munich and Vienna from 1993–1996 and later became project manager for exhibitions and conferences for the Steirischer Herbst Festival in Graz, Austria. In 1999 she became exhibition director at the ZKM | Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe. From 2005–2011 she was the artistic director of the Edith-Russ-House for Media Art in Oldenburg, Germany. Curated exhibitions at HEK in Basel include Ryoji Ikeda (2014), Poetics and Politics of Data (2015), Lynn Hershman Leeson: Anti-Bodies, Eco-Visionaries (2018), Entangled Realities. Making FASHION Sense (2020) and Real Feelings. Emotion and Technology (2020). As a writer and lecturer she is dedicated to topics related to media art and digital culture.

Boris Magrini

Boris Magrini is head of programme and curator at HEK (House of Electronic Arts). He studied art history at the University of Geneva and completed his PhD at the University of Zurich. He was curator at àDuplex in Geneva, assistant curator at Kunsthalle Fribourg and Kunsthalle Zurich, and he is the editor of the Italian pages of Kunstbulletin. Curated shows include Radical Gaming (2021), Shaping the Invisible World (2020), Entangled Realities – Living with Artificial Intelligence (2019), Future Love. Desire and Kinship in Hypernature (2018), Grounded Visions: Artistic Research into Environmental Issues (2015–2016), Hydra Project (2016), Anathema (2007–2008), and Mutamenti (2007). Some of his publications include: Automation and Intentionality — Photography Without the Camera, in Automated Photography (ECAL/Lausanne, Mörel Books: 2021), Confronting the Machine: An Enquiry into the Subversive Drives of Computer – Generated Art (Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter 2017), and Hackteria: An Example of Neomodern Activism (Leonardo Electronic Almanac Vol. 20, Issue 1, 2014).

Françoise Poos

Françoise Poos is a researcher and curator. She currently works as Director of programmes at Esch2022 –  European Capital of Culture. She holds a Ph.D. in Visual Culture from the Photographic History Research Centre (PHRC) at De Montfort University, Leicester, and she investigates the area of media, archives, memory and identity. Since 2019 she is the Board Chair of the Centre Culturel de Rencontre Abbaye de Neimënster, a national public institution situated in the historic centre of Luxembourg City, mandated to stimulate the inter-cultural dialogue, and sustain diversity through the arts. She is also the Chair of the contemporary art prize Edward Steichen Award Luxembourg.

Esch2022 ART, TECHNOLOGY & DIGITAL CULTURE PODCAST

The Esch2022 ART, TECHNOLOGY & DIGITAL CULTURE PODCAST explores a variety of themes related to art, science, technologies and digital culture. Hear from artists, curators, scientists and visitors from Luxembourg and Europe as they chat about their projects and thoughts on the Esch2022 – European Capital of Culture programme of exhibitions and events across the region.

Esch2022 – European Capital of Culture

Situated in Luxembourg’s former steel-mining south and crossing the border into France, Esch2022 – European Capital European  aims at promoting the cultural and artistic diversity of the region. The programme comprises a vast array of events from all artistic disciplines with a specific thematic focus on the transition of the region from the industrial past to a contemporary society of knowledge. Media arts and immersive exhibitions developed in collaboration with renowned international institutions are therefore cornerstones of the visual arts programme unfolding in a stunning post-industrial site: Esch-Belval.

In collaboration with culture.lu and Radio ARA

Recorded on the 3rd of June 2022 in Esch-sur-Alzette

Opening jingle and ambiance: Andrea Mancini (aka Cleveland) andreamancini.cc

Visual identity: Cropmark cropmark.lu/

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